Fawcett responds to the GCSE & A level consultation

Fawcett have submitted a response to the GCSE and A Level Consultation following the announcement that feminism is potentially to be removed from the A level politics syllabus – effectively cutting women out of it. Plans for the new content remove the option to study feminist thinkers and ideas. Instead feminism has been relegated to one of a number of ‘pressure groups’ with content focussing solely on the disagreements between suffragettes and suffragists. The syllabus cover 16 key political thinkers – but only one of these is a woman.

Fawcett is calling for the government to think again and make sure women are given the place they deserve in the study of politics. Our consultation response recommends the following:

Feminism be included as one of the ‘political ideas’ which students will be expect to understand, discuss, and critique

That more women are included amongst the ‘key thinkers’ of liberalism, conservatism, and socialism that students will study

That feminism be given a more prominent role than just as a ‘pressure group’ with consideration of the key concepts, debates and thinkers rather than a narrow focus on the disputes between the suffragists and suffragettes